HEALTH CARE QUALITY INFORMATION AND TECHNOLOGY ENHANCEMENT.10 USC 1071 note.

SEC. 723. HEALTH CARE QUALITY INFORMATION AND TECHNOLOGY ENHANCEMENT. (a) Purpose.—The purpose of this section is to ensure that the Department of Defense addresses issues of medical quality surveillance and implements solutions for those issues in a timely manner that is consistent with national policy and industry standards.113 STAT. 696 (b) Department of Defense Program for Medical Informatics And Data.—The Secretary of Defense shall establish a Department of Defense program, the purposes of which shall be the following: (1) To develop parameters for assessing the quality of health care information. (2) To develop the defense digital patient record. (3) To develop a repository for data on quality of health care. (4) To develop capability for conducting research on quality of health care. (5) To conduct research on matters of quality of health care. (6) To develop decision support tools for health care providers. (7) To refine medical performance report cards. (8) To conduct educational programs on medical informatics to meet identified needs. (c) Automation and Capture of Clinical Data.—(1) Through the program established under subsection (b), the Secretary of Defense shall accelerate the efforts of the Department of Defense to automate, capture, and exchange controlled clinical data and present providers with clinical guidance using a personal information carrier, clinical lexicon, or digital patient record. (2) The program shall serve as a primary resource for the Department of Defense for matters concerning the capture, processing, and dissemination of data on health care quality. (d) Medical Informatics Advisory Committee.—(1) The Secretary of Defense shall establish a Medical Informatics Advisory Committee (hereinafter referred to as the “Committee”), the members of which shall be the following: (A) The Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs. (B) The Director of the TRICARE Management Activity of the Department of Defense. (C) The Surgeon General of the Army. (D) The Surgeon General of the Navy. (E) The Surgeon General of the Air Force. (F) Representatives of the Department of Veterans Affairs, designated by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs. (G) Representatives of the Department of Health and Human Services, designated by the Secretary of Health and Human Services. (H) Any additional members appointed by the Secretary of Defense to represent health care insurers and managed care organizations, academic health institutions, health care providers (including representatives of physicians and representatives of hospitals), and accreditors of health care plans and organizations. (2) The primary mission of the Committee shall be to advise the Secretary on the development, deployment, and maintenance of health care informatics systems that allow for the collection, exchange, and processing of health care quality information for the Department of Defense in coordination with other Federal departments and agencies and with the private sector. (3) Specific areas of responsibility of the Committee shall include advising the Secretary on the following:113 STAT. 697 (A) The ability of the medical informatics systems at the Department of Defense and Department of Veterans Affairs to monitor, evaluate, and improve the quality of care provided to beneficiaries. (B) The coordination of key components of medical informatics systems, including digital patient records, both within the Federal Government and between the Federal Government and the private sector. (C) The development of operational capabilities for executive information systems and clinical decision support systems within the Department of Defense and Department of Veterans Affairs. (D) Standardization of processes used to collect, evaluate, and disseminate health care quality information. (E) Refinement of methodologies by which the quality of health care provided within the Department of Defense and Department of Veterans Affairs is evaluated. (F) Protecting the confidentiality of personal health information. (4) The Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs shall consult with the Committee on the issues described in paragraph (3). (5) The Secretary of Defense shall submit to Congress an annual report on the activities of the Committee and on the coordination of development, deployment, and maintenance of health care informatics systems within the Federal Government, and between the Federal Government and the private sector. (6) Members of the Committee shall not be paid by reason of their service on the Committee. (7) The Federal Advisory Committee Act (5 U.S.C. App.) shall not apply to the Committee. (e) Annual Report.—The Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs shall submit to Congress on an annual basis a report on the quality of health care furnished under the health care programs of the Department of Defense. The report shall cover the most recent fiscal year ending before the date the report is submitted and shall contain a discussion of the quality of the health care measured on the basis of each statistical and customer satisfaction factor that the Assistant Secretary determines appropriate, including, at a minimum, a discussion of the following: (1) Health outcomes. (2) The extent of use of health report cards. (3) The extent of use of standard clinical pathways. (4) The extent of use of innovative processes for surveillance.